Hampstead Theatre

The three storeys, one below ground, are connected by the foyer. Wrapped around the auditorium at ground level are the cafe/bar space, box office and WCs – ramped bridges extend across the foyer void to access the auditorium.

To the rear there is a large workshop space with access directly from the street. The theatre has no stage door, actors, staff and audiences enter by the same route. Offices, wardrobe and dressing rooms are on the first floor, where there is direct access to the auditorium balcony seating and an overflow foyer area. Separate front and back-of-house stairs provide the necessary dedicated circulation routes for public and staff.

The exterior of the building is clad in a mixture of glazing, timber slatting and coloured light panels. The theatre is firmly rooted to the ground, with level access from the street it reading as a semi-transparent, two storey orthogonal steel-framed pavilion in which the sculptural form can be clearly distinguished, rising above the enclosure.